


free floating

by Phoenix_Allura (Artemis_Autumn_Marie)



Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [19]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Capture the Flag, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, POC Percy Jackson, Whumptober 2019, hurt annabeth chase, snares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25248292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Autumn_Marie/pseuds/Phoenix_Allura
Summary: Annabeth is not letting her boyfriend win this game, even if it means fighting him.(She doesn't quite get that far.)
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507226
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	free floating

Annabeth dodged the spear, backing into the lake.

Boyfriend or not, she was not going to let Percy Jackson beat her at capture the flag. She ducked. Clarisse was predictable. Another swing, and Annabeth would be able to get inside with her dagger and disarm her.

Now, if only she could figure out how Percy planned to get past her… 

Annabeth stepped forward, between Clarisse's arms, and hit her spear hand hard with her dagger, knocking the spear away with the flat of her blade. 

Malcolm caught and tied Clarisse’s hands before she could do anything.

“Where’d you come from?”

“Everyone always expects Annabeth to have the hat.” Malcolm tossed it to her. “I’ll hold the fort here, you go and do your thing.” Annabeth nodded and pulled the hat on, the motion familiar, even comforting.

Time to find Percy.

Percy was by the lake, as she'd predicted.

What she hadn't expected was a snare. A hidden rope caught her ankle and pulled her off her feet into the air, dangling over the lake.

"Like my trap?" Percy called to her. "I figured you would come this way eventually.”

“Well, stop figuring out my plans!” She yelled. Really, she wanted to kiss him. They’d been talking strategy together more and he was good at it. 

He was smart, and she knew it, but he picked it up faster than she’d thought he would.

“I’m glad you stopped by! We don’t _hang out_ enough.” She could hear the grin in his voice, and groaned.

“We’ll hang out less after that pun.” She threatened, just to hear him laugh.

It worked.

“I’ll let you down when the game is won, Wise Girl.”

“You mean when I win?”

“Fat chance! You can’t get yourself down safely without help.”

He was right. If she wriggled free, she’d fall into the lake, but there was a chance she’d bring the snare’s counterbalance with her. She’d sink more than she would swim, and unless Percy got to her, she might even drown.

So she continued to spin slowly.

She watched as Percy, graceful as always in battle, slashed just deep enough to cut armor but not skin, ramming the hilt of Riptide into helmets.

These were her siblings and tonight’s allies. She should really be more concerned, but Percy was fun to watch.

He had become expert both at killing monsters and not hurting his friends.

“See, Wise Girl? I just have to wait for my team to come back.” Percy was playing, and he wasn’t in the water.

“I see, Seaweed Brain. But don’t discount Athena cabin just yet.” Her hat had fallen. If someone could slip past Percy and grab it, they might be able to knock him out of the game. Or cut her down.

Or both. Both was good. Because as fun as watching Percy was, Annabeth wanted to be in the game, fighting and moving.

And her ankle was starting to ache.

She spun enough that she lost sight of Percy again, only able to hear him fighting. She looked up at the tree, thinking.

Maybe she could reach up and grab it, wriggle her way out of the snare and not fall into the water.

She pulled herself into a crunch, straining to reach.

Not even close.

Percy really had thought of everything.

If she could build momentum and swing toward the beach…

But there was still a chance she’d fall, and she didn’t know if she wanted to take that risk. If she took the snare with her, it’d be bad, and Percy was distracted, still fighting. Even being a strong swimmer, with extra weight dragging her down she could surface but not make it to shore.

And if she couldn’t stay up, Percy might not notice she’d gone under.

Maybe Poseidon would be nice to her?

Percy was his favorite, and even if she was Athena’s daughter, she was still his girlfriend.

That had to count for something, right?

The naiads wouldn’t help her, she’d told them off for flirting with Percy too many times.

She let herself fall back, and winced at the headrush. She’d sit up again in a few, so she didn’t get too lightheaded.

Well, she could watch Percy again, so a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.

“How’s the ankle, Annabeth?” Percy didn’t glance her way, but she smiled anyway. Of course he’d lay a trap for her and then ask how she was doing.

“Little sore, but I’ll live!” It wasn’t too bad. It probably wouldn’t even bruise up, and if it did, she wouldn’t mind an excuse to have Percy carry her around for a few days.

“Lightheaded at all?”

“I’m fine, Percy.” It was cute. She wanted to see his face, he might be doing the eyebrow thing he did when he was worried.

She was spinning faster than before, probably because she’d let herself fall back into her upside-down position.

This time when she pulled herself up, she grabbed the rope. Her ankle was starting to hurt more; no need to strain it too much if she could avoid it.

She shifted, and slid down.

No.

That didn’t make sense.

The rope wasn’t fraying.

She couldn’t move in the snare.

The branch.

A glance upward confirmed it. The branch holding her was thick at the base, but out over the water—where the trap ended—it was too thin to hold much weight for long.

And she’d been here for close to ten minutes already.

“Um, Percy?”

“Yeah, Annabeth?” 

“This branch is going to break soon.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Annabeth listened as Percy finished the fight, and even though some of his opponents were her siblings, she couldn't help being proud.

Seaweed Brain, dork that he was, was still the best of them.

"I'm coming, Annabeth." She heard him running.

At the same time she heard the branch snap.

She hardly had time to take a breath.

Annabeth fell.

Not far, but she fell.

She heard Percy shout.

She drifted, sinking slowly.

Percy was helping her.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see a bubble around her.

No such luck. Either Percy couldn't at a distance, had forgotten, or thought she'd be fine.

She was still sinking—too slowly. With the branch and the snare, she should have been halfway to the bottom by now.

She would still run out of oxygen eventually.

Annabeth started an upright freestyle with her arms.

Where was Percy?

She could hold her breath for a few minutes, but she wouldn't surface in time on her own.

Had he been hit by the branch?

Annabeth kept moving up, snail's pace.

Her lungs burned like she imagined the Plethagon did.

She kept moving.

If they hadn't taken her dagger, she could cut the snare.

Her vision was going spotty.

Oh, gods, Percy wouldn't let her drown, would he?

No. If he could save her, he would.

The last thing she saw was those sea-green eyes, her favorite color, and a dark brown hand, reaching for her.

She woke up.

She woke up, in the infirmary, Percy behind her in bed, playing with her hair.

"What…?" She didn't need to finish. He understood.

"The branch clipped me on the head just as I was about to dive under for you. Left me dazed for a minute too long."

"You slowed me down." She turned to look at him; he had a bandage wrapped around his head, the white even brighter against his dark curly hair.

"That I can do at a wide range, across the lake, doesn't take much effort. I can't make you a bubble unless I can see you." Annabeth reached up and took one of his scarred hands in her own, smoothing a thumb over the ridges of the old burns.

“I thought I had lost you.” It’s quiet, his breath quickening, panic edging in. “I was terrified, Annabeth. We just made it through all this… and then to lose you, at my own hand, for a game? I didn’t see it, but the lake blew up, apparently, then I walked out holding you and it settled.” Annabeth kept her grin to herself. That was something she would have liked to see, Percy blowing up the whole lake.

“You saved me, Percy. I didn’t doubt that if you could, you would.”

“I don’t know how I would handle it if something happened to you, Annabeth.”

“You won’t have to.” A heavy promise to make, with their lives. 

She was determined to keep it. 

Her thumb caught on a particularly rough scar and reminded her that he would, too.

Percy was silent, his breath easing back into something steady.

To lighten the mood, she asked the important question.

"Who won?" Percy smirked, not dark as he did at monsters, but light and playful.

"My team, of course. You owe me a million kisses, Wise Girl."

Annabeth laughed. "Better get started, then." 

As she pressed kisses to Percy's hands and face, she knew she would be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> My inbox is always open at thaliaisalesbian on tumblr.  
> I hope this little piece cheered you up or made your day better.  
> Huge thanks to torie (@percyheartsannabeth on tumblr) for beta'ing.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> As always,  
> Nix


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